Hi everyone. My almost 4 week old is having some problems with her formula. At first she was having bowel movements that were greenish that was not consistent and smelled awful. The doctor tested for blood and said there was none and so it wasn't an allergy. SHe switched her to soy based and so far it has gotten better. Her bm are now looking more like mustard and appear to have no mucus in them. The only problem is that one time I saw some blood after she had been straining and it still has a smell to it. What should bottlefed babies' poo smell like?? Should it smell like ours? Or does the soy formula produce a more foul smell? Or is this a sign that she may still be having problems? Last night she was very fussy from like 9 PM until 2AM. I just feel bad for her and hope that she doesn't feel miserable. We have an appt on Friday. I called the pediatrician but they never returned my call. I don't know whether to stick with the soy formula until we see the doc on Friday or to switch to the Alimentum or something. Any thoughts?

Has your child been tested for celiacs or cystic fibrosis? Is she growing okay or does she have failure to thrive? Symptoms for CF are bulky, loose, foul smelling, and/or greasy stools. Basically not well formed because they can't digest fats and protein.

My DD got EXTREMELY constipated on the soy. We switched to the Alimentum and it made a world of difference. Her poops do smell pretty bad They are green in color which the doctor said is normal. You can call the ped. and discuss it if you want to switch before your next appointment...I wouldn't make her wait if she is straining to poop and not sleeping. Waiting will only make her "constipation" worse. You don't want her to get too backed up. Well, best of luck to you and your little one! Let us know how it goes.
cmarie

what exactly is considered bulky,greasy stools? I wouldn't say they are greasy...like I mentioned before it looks pretty much like mustard. When we switched formulas, there definitely was a change in the bowel movements. She was born small...5 lb 13 oz at 38 weeks. But she's about 7 pounds at about 4 weeks. So I don't think she has failure to thrive. I called the doc today and he said that unless there was blood in the stool, he wouldn't change the formula because she is showing improvement. I don't know...

Hi Sprout ~ My daughter is also on a soy formula (Similac Isomil Soy Advance). When we first switched her to a soy formula at three weeks (after being on Enfamil), she did get somewhat constipated. We were used to her pooping twice a day. Once she was on the soy, it was once a day and sometimes once every other day. It took her about a month to adjust to it, but we have milk allergies in our families so we stuck with it.
You can give her Mylicon drops if she's gassy. Also, Baby Gripe Water will sometimes help. (You can find it in the supermarket with health and beauty aid). A couple of teaspoons of dark Karo syrup in every other bottle will also help with your dd's constipation. My four month old's poopies are usually formed and very small...not to get to icky. Yes, sometimes, they get VERY stinky...it's normal...the formula stinks! Hate to get too gross, but just be careful if they look like small formed dry balls...this is major sign of constipation...try a little plain water in her diet....it will not hurt her. Just remember that all babies are different - some poop three times a day and some every other.
Just remember that it can sometimes take a good week for a noticable change to see improvement with new formulas. Should you decide to switch formulas, do it gradually. It can be pretty upsetting to a newborn's tummy. Try mixing formulas together first.
Good luck with everything! Trust your gut!

DS does have CF and while his stools may not have been greasy, they weren't well-formed. Greenish, yellowish. Tended to smell like feta cheese (sorry TMI). Basically not well-formed. Sometimes maybe shiny. Most of the times they weren't exactly pasty, but were kinda fluffy, almost like whipped cream.